Taft Union High

Taft Union High is a high school of middle-of-the-pack scale in Taft, California, part of Taft Union High, works with 1,064 students in grades 9 through 12. By comparison, California's public schools average about 838 students each, so Taft Union High sits 27% bigger than that benchmark.

Within Taft Union High, which oversees 2 schools and 1,149 students, Taft Union High is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Taft Union High shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 62% of enrollment. Other groups include 35% White.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Taft Union High has 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 82% of students at Taft Union High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Taft Union High performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 30.7%, the actual is 30.4%, a residual of -0.3 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Kern County put the typical household earns roughly $70,210 per year, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Kern County's 279 public schools (combined enrollment of about 197,431 students), Taft Union High is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Roosevelt Elementary, roughly 0.2 miles away. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Taft Union High ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 27.0%.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Taft Union High's enrollment has grew 12% since 2018, when it stood at 954 (now 1,064). Hispanic enrollment moved from 45% to 62% across the same window. Class-load math has rose: from 14.5:1 in 2018 to 18.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.